


it's like home

by xrec



Category: Naruto
Genre: Constructive Criticism Welcome, Gen, My First Fanfic, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:54:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25834570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xrec/pseuds/xrec
Summary: sasuke centric abt his new home after the great shinobi war
Comments: 5
Kudos: 13





	it's like home

**Author's Note:**

> find me at @9TAlLZ on twitter
> 
> this is my first ever fanfic lol isn't that crazy.. i would really love some feedback on this if u liked it

Warm light floods through the window shades, beaming directly onto Sasuke's face, sun seeping into his half-open eyes. His groan is barely audible, face half smushed into his pillow... Wait, since when was he cuddling this pillow? He quickly puts it back in its resting place behind his head. The boy looks around, taking in his surroundings. It’s been two days since his old sensei offered him a place to stay, two days since the aftershocks of war finally subsided. Two days since the village rebuilding is seeing its end, two days since he was finally able to look his best friends in the eyes again. He closes his own. 

Sasuke takes a deep breath and his eyes are open again. He draws a blanket up to his face, taking in its scent. It smells vaguely of gardenias and spices. It smells like home, or what he remembers it smelling like. The blanket reminds him of his Mother’s knitting. Sasuke buries his face in it deeper. 

There are light footsteps outside his room, soft mumbling, the pitter-patter of paws hitting the hard tile. That probably means Sasuke is going to have to leave his hiding place sooner or later. He lifts his head from the blanket and squints, eyes readjusting to the light. How long has his head been stuffed inside that blanket? He folds it neatly, carefully, delicately. He doesn’t know why, but Sasuke wants to keep this blanket clean and near him at all times. Weird.

The walls of his room are a light brown, potted plants line the windowsill and shelves. Paintings of mainly tortoises, and other animals, hang from the walls. To the left of Sasuke lies another bed. A much neater bed, a much more lived-in bed. A mahogany blanket tucked into the bed-frame oh so carefully, and obnoxiously bright orange legwarmers are folded on the bedside table. Lee’s side of the room. Sasuke was not excited at all hearing he would have to share a room with Rock Lee of all people, the kid who kicked his ass in less than five minutes years ago. But he really couldn’t complain, unless he wanted to stay in a barren compound where the genocide of his clan took place. He would gladly take sharing a room with this guy than having to wake up every morning to emptiness. Before everything that has happened took place, Sasuke wouldn’t mind staying in his clan’s empty compound. If anything, it only fueled him to keep getting stronger, to hate and hate and hate until he couldn’t hate more than he already did.

But that’s all changed now. Naruto changed something in him, and he realized that he really, Really doesn’t want to be alone anymore. That’s why Sasuke accepted Kakashi’s offer to stay with him until he could get his bearings. After all, he’s still only seventeen. A seventeen-year-old shouldn’t be living by themselves, taking care of themselves, That’s what Kakashi told him. His sensei knew all too well the pain of being so, so alone at that age, and he didn’t want to see his own student fall down that same despair. Sasuke knew this, he knew how badly Kakashi actually cared if Sasuke was okay after coming back to the village. No matter how well his sensei can mask his feelings towards others, Sasuke could read him so well. That’s another reason why he accepted to stay here, even if only temporarily. 

It was more than just Lee and Kakashi though. This is Gai sensei’s home after all, and when it’s Maito Gai, the small apartment is always refuge to other shinobi. Sasuke still has to get used to a full, energetic household. It’s been a while. Right now, the entirety of Team 9 has been staying there as well. Even Neji, who was just discharged from the hospital after being in a coma for weeks. Against all odds, he survived somehow, and that leaves his teammates stuck to him like glue. The apartment is much too small for all these people, and dogs, to comfortably live in, but somehow it’s all perfect to them. It’s cozy and perfect.

Sasuke feels that he’s intruding on this happy home, that his presence is going to blacken the lively energy of this place. He can’t help but feel he doesn’t belong somewhere like this, that he deserves to be alone again, that he doesn’t deserve such warmth from people he wanted to hurt. He’s ashamed to be in their presence, ashamed to join in on any conversation, no matter how badly he craves the interaction of the others. He sits in his room for most of the day, only leaving when Lee goes to bed and coming back when he’s sound asleep. He doesn’t want to be judged by this village anymore- he’s way too caught up in his thoughts right now and it’s really overwhelming and he feels like he’s gonna lose his head if he doesn’t calm down and- Right, blanket. With shaky arms, the boy reaches for the blanket, unfolding it and wrapping it around his arms. He brings the fabric up to his face with uneasy hands and buries himself in the smell, the comfort, the familiarity. 

…

There’s a knock at the door and Sasuke jolts from his place in bed, the sudden disruption of pure silence shocking him. “Heeeellllooooooo? You awake in there?” A sing-song voice. Oh. It’s just Tenten.

“Hey,” Sasuke croaks out, sounding obviously exhausted and annoyed at the same time. 

Tenten lets herself in and stands in the doorway of the room, hands on her hips. “Well, Lee and Gai Sensei just finished cooking breakfast, and we thought you’d wanna join in, since, y’ know... You haven’t eaten like in two days? We’re waiting for you if you’re up for it dude,” her response was too overly cheery for Sasuke’s liking. But… He was also taken aback. 

“They’re waiting. For me?” He looks up hesitantly as his stomach growls and half-glares at Tenten, who’s tapping her foot by now. 

“What did I just tell you? Are you eating or not? Cuz’ I’m not waiting forever,”

Sasuke looks down, then back at her, then down again. They want him there? Do they actually want to spend time with him? His mouth goes dry. 

“...Yeah. I’m coming,” he sighs after a moment, and Tenten smiles a genuine and pleased smile. She walks out of the room, leaving the door wide open. Sasuke can hear her say something to the others, and them replying in.. a satisfied tone? That’s new. He doesn’t really know how to feel about that. But it’s probably a feeling he could get used to. He makes his way off the bed, folding back the blanket, tucking in his sheets, and sliding on his slippers. 

When he enters the dining room, Kakashi’s the first to see and gives Sasuke his signature You-Can’t-See-My-Mouth-But-I’m-Very-Pleased-With-You eye-smile. Tenten hands him a plate and laughs. 

“See? This isn’t so bad, now is it Sasuke?” She turns back around and returns back to her spot at the table, directly next to Neji and her sensei. Sasuke takes in the scene before him. Lee, excitedly saying something to Sasuke that he can’t quite understand. Neji, still bandaged up, but alive, looking at him with a small smile tugging at his lips. Gai shouting about how youthful and wonderful it is that Sasuke chose to join them for breakfast today. Sasuke sits down and thanks Gai and Lee for the food, and begins to eat. 

It tastes just like his Mother’s cooking, it tastes just like home.


End file.
